Few teams have struggled more to find a franchise quarterback than the Cleveland Browns. The never-ending merry-go-round at the position has become a running joke among other fan bases. Unfortunately, that situation is far from settled.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry left the door open for adding another rookie to the team's underwhelming QB competition. Then again, with a 2027 class that promises to be stacked at the position, some argue that the Browns might be better off just waiting for another year.
When asked about that, Berry all but confirmed that he's not going to draft an early-round quarterback in 2026. While he won't let the 2027 class dictate what he'll do with every pick in this year's draft, because a lot can change overnight, he admitted that he's keeping an eye on next year's class.
"We always want to have some level of visibility into next year’s draft class," Berry said, citing the strategic implications that come with planning ahead. "That being said, there is a lot of noise with that type of projection. And I think mentioning the quarterback position a year ago, where some of maybe the top reported names relative to where we are today, that looks a lot different. ... But to be completely ignorant of it is something that we don’t believe in doing."
Browns fans may be waiting longer than expected for a real QB answer
The 2026 quarterback class is quite unimpressive. Even Fernando Mendoza, the clear-cut QB1, doesn't seem to have a superstar-type ceiling and may need to sit for a year to be ready. As such, using a pick on another signal-caller might just a waste of an asset, even with a new head coach in town.
The Browns could potentially roll the dice on developmental, late-round prospects like Drew Allar, Carson Beck, Cade Kubnik, or Garrett Nussmeier. But it's hard to believe that any of them would have a legitimate chance to beat out Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders.
Moreover, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Browns prioritize acquiring another first and/or second-round pick in a much-deeper class of 2027. There will be so many options to choose from that not doing so would be almost irresponsible for a team that doesn't seem to have a clear path toward strong quarterback play in 2026.
In an ideal world, the Browns would find their quarterback of the future in Sanders and use every other future asset to build a team around him. He might have every chance to prove that he can be that guy.
But just in case he doesn't, it makes perfect sense that the general manager is trying to play chess rather than checkers and keep an eye on the future.
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